The 11 Most Important Encounters From the Game of Thrones Premiere — Ranked

Poor Sam. What begins as an incredible honour — the Queen wants to personally thank him for saving Ser Jorah's life! And give him a reward! Anything he wants! — quickly turns into the worst "thank you" visit ever, as Daenerys regrets to inform him that she's executed his father and brother for refusing to bend the knee.

While he didn't have a great relationship with his father and brother, this was still a horrible way to find out about their deaths, and our hearts broke for Sam, a character who deserves only good things in life. To add insult to injury, a weepy Sam actually thanks Dany for delivering the awful news, even though she never apologises.

Although Bran caught a brief glimpse of Jon in season four, Jon hasn't actually laid eyes on his younger brother since way back in season one, when he first departed Winterfell for Castle Black. No wonder Jon is emotional when he spots Bran upon arriving back home, throwing his arms around his brother and planting a relieved kiss on his forehead, as he tearily observes, "Look at you, you're a man!"

Unfortunately, Bran's detached serenity undercuts the emotional resonance of the scene. "Almost," he replies, offering his brother a vague half-smile that wipes the joy from Jon's eyes, replacing it with sad confusion. While we knew that his first meeting with the Three-Eyed Raven was bound to be unsettling for Jon, it was still disappointing to see Bran give him such a tepid reception after such a long time apart.

Arya hasn't seen Sandor Clegane since she stole his money and left him for dead after Brienne of Tarth beat him within an inch of his life at the end of season four. Considering she's had his name crossed off her list for the past few years, her reaction to finding him alive and well in the forges is remarkably cool-headed. Arya's relationship with The Hound has always been a complicated one, and their encounter here is no exception, with The Hound displaying grudging admiration for Arya's ruthlessness, and Arya offering only the tiniest of eyebrow quirks in reply, giving away none of her inner thoughts. She could just as easily be plotting to poison him in his sleep as bury the hatchet; only time will tell which.

It's an intriguing little moment between two of the show's most fascinating characters, and while we have no idea whether these two will remain allies once the White Walker threat is past (assuming they both survive), it was fun to see them finally get to share the screen again.

The Greyjoy siblings haven't seen each other since the beginning of season seven, when Euron attacked the Iron Fleet and kidnapped Yara. We haven't seen her in so long that we were beginning to wonder if she was dead, but "Winterfell" finds her alive and shockingly intact, tied up in Euron's cabin so that she gets a front-row seat for Theon's stealthy rescue effort. While Yara's initial reaction to her brother's arrival is a little, uh, less than enthusiastic (she headbutts him for abandoning her during Euron's invasion of the fleet), the scene ends with the siblings on good terms, seeming to truly understand each other for the first time.

While it looks as though the Greyjoys will soon be separating yet again, with Yara returning to the Iron Islands to provide a fallback point for Daenerys' troops should Winterfell fall and Theon going to fight with the Starks, we're glad these two could reconcile before parting ways, perhaps for the last time.

So . . . are these two still married? Littlefinger said their marriage was effectively annulled, but we know better by now than to trust the late Lord Baelish about, well, anything. In Sansa and Tyrion's first conversation since season four — they last parted ways following Joffrey's disastrous (or glorious, depending on your point of view) wedding — the reluctant couple dances around the subject, but never addresses it head on. We really can't blame them; this conversation was already loaded enough without them trying to untangle their complicated legal status.

While Tyrion and Sansa were never in love, they had at least come to trust and respect one another during their brief time together. Whatever else they may feel for one another now, there are still some glimmers of that old mutual admiration, even if it is tinged with bitterness. Both characters play this scene pretty close to the vest, so it's hard to know exactly what they were feeling, but after the growth they've each experienced over the past few seasons, we can't deny that it was nice to watch them share a screen again.

Sam and Jon last parted ways at the end of season five, when Sam left for Oldtown to study at the Citadel. Little did either of them know that Sam's journeys would lead him to uncover the biggest secret in the Seven Kingdoms — that Jon is actually the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, making him the true heir to the Iron Throne.

That Sam delivers this news with empathy and compassion, even after learning what Daenerys did to his family, speaks to not only his character, but to his close relationship with Jon. He helps Jon understand that the story that Ned Stark told him wasn't intended to deceive him, but to protect him, and Jon listens, even though he doesn't want to, because this is Sam, and he knows Sam would never lie to him.

It would've been a huge moment for the mythology of the show no matter who delivered the news, but having Jon find out from Sam, whom he loves like a brother, made it especially resonant.

Immediately on the heels of Arya's tense face-off with the Hound comes her charming reunion with Gendry, who she last saw being hauled off to the Red Keep by Melisandre midway through season three. Arya initially maintains the blank-eyed deadpan she used on The Hound, while Gendry fidgets like a gawky teenager for a bit, paying her an awkward compliment ("You look . . . good") before giving up on the small talk and returning return to work.

However, apparently all that was needed to crack Arya's frosty facade was a crooked smile and a well-placed "m'lady," which Gendry delivers with some serious smoulder. It's enough to get Arya to drop the Faceless Man act, just for a moment, as she reverts back to the teenage girl she was in season three, with a crush on a cute boy.

Then Arya collects herself and asks Gendry to make her a weapon, and it's back to business as usual. But for a few, glorious seconds, we got to see the two of them standing there grinning at each other like anxious prom dates, and it was adorable.

Although Jon and Rhaegal were technically acquainted before "Winterfell," Rhaegal accepting Jon as a rider definitely qualifies as a long-awaited encounter, as fans have been wondering for years if we'd ever get to see Jon embrace his Targaryen side by riding one of Dany's dragons. Curiously, Jon's scene with Rhaegal occurs before he learns of his true heritage, and for no apparent reason other than that Dany wants to see if he can. Despite the surprising lack of ceremony, it was still thrilling to watch Jon soar over the snow-swept landscape on Rhaegal . . . even if he does nearly fall off a few times.

We knew that the first meeting between the Mother of Dragons and the Lady of Winterfell for years was bound to be interesting, to say the least. Daenerys has come to expect deference from everyone she meets, while Sansa has long since had her fill of self-appointed monarchs demanding her subservience. Complicating the matter is Dany's obvious desire to win the approval of Jon's family, which she botches right off the bat by complimenting Sansa's beauty. You'd think that after years of suppressing her own eyerolls while other leaders focussed on her looks, Dany would know better.

In response, Sansa gives the Khaleesi a visual dressing-down so devastating it would make Cersei Lannister blush. She does still welcome Dany to Winterfell, albeit a bit frostily, but makes it clear that while Jon may have bent the knee, Sansa is far from eager to hand over the power she's worked so hard to amass for herself.

Despite the distinct lack of warm fuzzies in this scene, it was extremely satisfying to watch Sansa refuse to bend after so many years spent watching others attempt to break her. And while we love Dany, it's about time someone stood up to her that she couldn't just hurl her dragons at and call it a day.

"You used to be taller."

These are Arya's first words to the brother she last saw back in season one, back when she was still an innocent child who had never killed anyone, and he was still a bastard who had never died. A lot has happened over the intervening years, but it all melts away as a smile spreads over Arya's face, and she leaps into Jon's arms.

By far the most heartwarming of the many reunions of "Winterfell," this scene between Arya and Jon underscores just how much has changed during the years they've spent apart. While Jon tries to relate to Arya as he always has, Arya gently eases him into the idea that she's grown up, telling him that she's used her sword "once or twice," and refusing to side with him against Sansa, calling her sister, "the smartest person I've ever met."

It's a scene filled with genuine love and affection, but also with a touch of bittersweetness, as Arya and Jon realise that although they still love each other, they don't really know each other anymore. Still, they're family, as they remind each other at the end of the scene, so we know they'll be able to figure out the rest.